Have a blessed Holiday season!

A picture of beautiful downtown Antioch, Il. (without the snow). Wishing you and yours a very blessed and safe Holiday season! :)

Playing with split rings...

I have been playing with split rings and thought I share with you some of my fun I have been having! My first pic is the center for '4 Ring Snowflake' by Wendy Durell( www.handicrafts.org.uk/ ). Problem, I ran out of thread on one of my shuttles so there are only 5 sets instead of 6. This sample done up in size 40 lizbeth thread 'Angel's Love'.( About the size of a quarter.) Done as double shuttle split rings with 2 shuttles.

Next is the body of the 'Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon' pattern by Anne Bruvold 2008. (Don't remember were I got this pattern from, best bet google.) Single shuttle split rings. So what DO you find easier to do double shuttle :(- or single shuttle :) split rings?! I obviously like single better, but both really make tatting fun! (Thread is size 20 I think Lizbeth, don't remember color number, sorry.) The dragon body is about 6-7 inches long. I threw in a crocheted snowflake I made a couple of years ago, to give it a little more Christmas feeling! This pattern makes a lovely 5 inch snowflake with bedspread weight crochet thread.

I have tatted no new snowflakes for Christmas yet. :( I have had a touch of the flu followed by a lovely sinus infection that has kept me up for 5 days. No fun. And if I could stop coughing long enough I'd finish Wendy's pattern! This has put a crimp in my Christmas gift making. Truffles, marshmallow creme and fudge are all waiting for me. I'm just waiting for the antibiotics to start to work so I can.lol. I have enjoyed sharing my small success with the split rings. More and more patterns use them and they are really handy to get from one round to the next without cutting and hiding ends!

Hope all have a safe and happy Holidays and kept those shuttles flying!:)

The attack of the flu 'bug'-Yuck and a Crane.

This is one bug I really tried to avoid, but I wasn't that lucky:( . So as I sit with all the lovely side affects of it I thought I'd show you my little Cranes.This is one of MANY!(The material is a blue batik I got on ebay.)

I had alot of fun making them and then putting a hole for the hanger to go through. Now to put them in a card along with a candy cane and my gifts for my kids will be done! I chose the Crane because it was cute, but more importantly it was easy for me. It is also a tradition to make Cranes for the Chinese New year for luck and prosperity. I'm not Chinese but the idea is cool so hey, why not?!!

I thought about tatting eyes for them, but that didn't happen. I am working on a snowflake and when its done I'll share.( Better that then the flu!).

Oh yeah, now there are 10 tatting days left to get something done before Christmas! Happy tatting!!! :)

Thread, thread and more thread!

First picture is a sample of the SEVERAL skeins of hdt I ordered. They are from Yarnplayer aka Marilee Rockely from her Etsy shop. (click on her blog link at the right on the tool bar and you can get to her etsy shop). They are size 20 in 'Snowflake','Tourmaline' and 'Vibrato'.

This group of thread is a sample of the three colors I got from LadyShuttleMaker aka Sherry Pence from her Etsy shop.( another website I have on my right tool bar). These are 100 % silk and in a size 20. They are 'Country Christmas', 'Hosta Leaf' and ' Holly Jolly Christmas'.

When questioned what I was going to do with all this thread I stated I was sharing with a few people. OK I am just hording some if it and will tat it into some thing fabulous.(snowflakes or maybe ANOTHER pair of earrings!lol)

I mailed off my thread exchange packages today. The hardest part was deciding what thread to send. I have also been doing fabric Origami ornaments in the shape of a Crane. These are for my students that ride my bus. I think I have folded at least 75 birds and have demolished one hands worth of nails. But the Cranes look great(will try to remember to take pics!). I sent one to each of my thread exchange so it really didn't fit in the regular envelope so I put them in a mailer. I had fun that's what counts!

Becki can't get her mail because the Post Office is temporary closed due to illness. You think they could borrow someone from the Ketchikan Post Office just so people can get their mail! I can't imagine not being able to get mail so close to Christmas. I hope not alot of people there are doing mail order for their holiday shopping.

Well as I get something do (so many projects so little time) I post it. Until then remember there are only 12 more tatting days left to have something for Christmas! :)-

Playing with cute little bugs!

I was having way too much fun driving in the snow on my routes this afternoon, so I thought what could I do to my cute little bug and this is what I got.( 3 are just plain the other is my 'mutant' bug. I think I've seen some of these guys eating on my bushes this summer.) Why not make the big picot a double picot and see how it looks. The picture is above is the results. I notice on my second double I didn't get my joining thread all the way down so that side will be glued in place on the card. It is obvious I have tooo much time on my hands and am just tooo excited about my first thread exchange. Sometimes simple is the best. But you be the judge.
Winter has decided to come to northern Illinois. We have had freezing rain followed by snow followed by temps dropping followed by wind. OK so I like snow, but not with ice under it or up to 40 mph winds or sleet. Driving a school bus that slides is NOT fun!
I hope all are safe and warm now and have a great rest of the week! Remember only 15 tatting days left till Christmas! :)

Happy Birthday To Me!

Ok a quick note, yes it's my birthday, no I'm not admitting how old I am. I told my 25 yr old son I was only 21. His remark was how was that possible since he was 25. Lol.
I have been making cute little 'bugs' to put on my letters for my thread exchange nothing complicated. A ring of 3ds with lp 2ds and 2 sp 2ds and lp finished with 3 ds clr. Leave a little thread at both ends tie in square knot and you have antennas. Glue on paper cute little bug thing.
I have had alot of well wishers already for my b-day and thank you. I really appreciate it. I hope everyone is enjoying their day as much as I am enjoying mine! :)

A new book and the Christmas tatting starts!

A new book always inspires me to get in the Christmas season. And here is a picture of the new book edited by Barbara Foster from Handy Hands at www.hhtatting.com/ . It has 18 patterns for different snowflakes and motifs that can be pinned on satin covered balls. The directions are easy to follow and there are diagrams. The pictures of the finished work are done in color. (No I don't get paid for advertising-I just found this book fun and had some fast and easy, yet pretty snowflakes).

This is my attempt at snowflake #1. OK it's missing a point-so I guess mine is really a star. The directions call for a long picot that the other 5 center rings are going to be joined to. I hate to have too much picot left sooo I didn't make my center picot big enough. Oh well I'm still going to use it on one of my satin balls!:)- I used size 20 in 'Western Sunset' Lizbeth thread. I can say it didn't take long (less time if the telly is off!) and was fairly easy to tat since it really is only 2 rings repeated.I usually avoid things that have thread space-never really get them right. But this wasn't that hard. Maybe I'm just getting better at it, not. Well I need to get back to Sunday dessert making (we are having Raspberry Funny Cake yummm.!) TaTa for now.

Tatted angel with double picots.

My little tatted angels pattern by Nancy Tracy of www.be-stitched.com/ , called 'Tatted Angel'. The angel on the left is shuttle tatted in size 20 Lizbeth thread 'Spring Fling'#106. The bigger angel is in size 5 hdt by Yarnplayer 'Rhubarb Pie' and is needle tatted. (I like to use the needle for size 3 and 5 Pearle cotton threads.)

Nancy's pattern only calls for 6 picots on the head, but I want to make the size 20 into earrings and the size 5 a tree ornament ; so for hanging purposes I added another picot. The penny is just for size comparisons. I also had to practice my double picots and see if they would work with needle tatting. They do.

Becki only has a 3 foot tree and large ornament would be over powering.

I also have made a few fabric origami pieces in the shape of cranes for her. They are done in green batik fabric I bought.( Not enough time to make my own, maybe make some batik fabric this summer for next Christmas. Anyone who has worked with dye will know what I say when I say that dying is time consuming. Batik requires several dye processes with set time between each one-so next time.)

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Turkey Day and have a great week! Remember there are only 27 tatting days left till Christmas! :)

Ah Ha moment.

WE all have them, those moments when we look at something and it finally clicks! Well I had mine today. I have never tried double picots before. I just didn't- no good reason. Maybe because when I was doing most of my shuttle tatting I wasn't exposed to them. And I don't know if you can do them in needle tatting.(have to think about that for awhile) So I googled how to do them. Got directed to online tatting class and Mark Myers lovely pictures. Let me back up here I don't learn by just pics alone- I am an Audio and Visual learner. So to stare at picture alone doesn't cut it in the instruction group for me. But if I read them out loud I usually can figure things out. So the pic below is my 1st successful tatted double picot.Yeah!

O.K. so it isn't exciting and now I should make something that uses them I will in time. First have a whole bunch of ufos screaming 'finish me!'. Next pic is one of those pesky ufos- Marilee's pattern 'Keyed Up' available in her Etsy store, done in size 20 Lizbeth thread. (forgot which one I used I think it is Purple Pizzaz). Now to hide threads, get the other leaf on it's mate and stiffen- and ANOTHER pair of earrings!Lol
It was fun to make.

Last weekend we sent Becki back to Alaska. It was such a short time she was here. She really enjoyed her ORFF Conference in Milwaukee, but she was really tired. She stopped off in Anchorage on her way back to Met and didn't have as good of a time as she'd hoped.(ticket prices are $1200 or more so that is a very good reason she is not coimg home.)

So-we are putting a Christmas package together for her. Homemade fudge, tree trimmings, hand made ornaments and some other goodies so she can trim a tree and not be too homesick.(1st Christmas away from home ever for her). Of course what is tree without tatted snowflakes?! Jim wants to make some wood ornaments for her. She is going to have one fine tree there in Metlakatla Alaska if you ask me!

Life just keeps us all busy. Hope everyone out there in tat land has a great week! TaTa for now.

30 years and still counting!

Happy anniversary to us! Today marks 30 years of wedded bliss! Here is a family photo taken on Bill's birthday of us all. The three striking 'children' in front are James, Becki and Bill. Me and Jim are in the the rear. It has been a wonderful 30 years and I really hope all of us are around for the next 30 years! :)

Tracy's Heart

My first 'Heart for Tracy'. Sorry didn't quite get it straight on scanner, but you get the general idea. There is a story here about the love of someone who is helping a dear friend through a very hard time. The designer of this pattern is Heather Johnston and her dear friend Tracy has stage 4 Breast Cancer. Heather designed this heart and asked those who would to tat it and send it to her so she could use it in a fundraiser to help with the cost of Tracy's care. This is truly a labor of love. I have lost way too many dear friends to this horrible disease. Heather's friend is only 33.Way to young I think to leave your loved ones behind. So if you would like to tat this heart and send it to Heather to help her cause you can find out how by visiting her blog http://thetarnishedtatter.blogspot.com/ for Tracy's Heart pattern by Heather in her October posts. There will be more information there. There is a link about the fundraiser for Tracy when you access the pattern.
I will remember Heather and Tracy in my prayers and definitely will make more hearts.
(The thread is size 20 'Purple Pizzaz' in Lizbeth)

WOO HOO I Won!

Woo Hoo. I found out Friday I had been one of 3 lucky winners of Yarnplayer's(a.k.a. Marilee Rockley) giveaway to celebrate her being published ! Well actually a beautiful picture of some of her lovely tatting! And today look what came in the mail! Here is a scan of the actual page that shows Marilee's beautiful necklace.

And then there was this very nicely wrapped package.

And inside- a nice surprise of size 20 of some Marilee's very own hand dyed thread! I screamed for about 5 minutes when I found out I won. I enter giveaways, but am the bridesmaid never the bride. Until this time!

Thank you Marilee for your very generous gift! I have to think of something someone would want that I do for a giveaway. Maybe a tie dyed T-shirt or crochet dishcloths or crocheted rug or maybe some of my many balls of thread and and some tatting shuttles? I have to work on it.

On a different note. I have been tatting, but I have had the attack of a pinched nerve in my back and left leg that has made even sitting less than fun. After many trips to the Chiropractor and Massage Therapist I can stand up straight-literally. So I hope to finish my ufo's soon.

And Becki the long lost child(not really she has been in Alaska working) is coming to town for the ORF Conference in Milwaukee this weekend. We are excited to see her as this will be the only time she will be down until summer! :(

I just can't thank Marilee enough and I am very excited I won. I am very proud of Marilee and am happy she is part of tat land. She is a very talented person. And I for one am blessed for having her out there! Ta ta for now.

'Lacy Treasures' with Lizabeth Thread.

Below is a very lonely little Angel earring I tatted with Yarnplayer's hdt- can't remember the color but do know it is a size 50. I haven't stiffened it yet because my husband helped my by picking up my stiffy and I still haven't found it! (Beads are from DS9Designs at http://www.ds9designs.com/ ) These are Lizabeth thread # 117 size 20 and the pattern is Yarnplayer's "Lacy Treasure" available in her Etsy store. It is suppose to be a pendant and when Handy Hands has Lizabeth thread available in size 10 I will make a matching pendant from it. These are more earring size so that is what they will become. After all you can't have enough earrings!

This is another pair of earrings done in size 20 purple Lizabth thread. This is also a Yarnplayer pattern "Quadrille". I did these last summer and still haven't stiffened them. I think you can still get the pattern at her Etsy store. I really like Marilee's earring patterns and Jon's snowflake patterns. I also like a lot of other people's patterns. And if I can be honest I kind of have an obsession with collecting tatting patterns. I have close to 50 or so tatting books and hundreds (literally) printed patterns. I have 40-60 crochet books and dozens of knitting, Batik, Tye-die and weaving books. You might say I have my own little private library of books. Oh and lets not forget my collection of cook books, cake decorating books besides all the fiction and non fiction. OK I could have my own library-LOL. But someone has to have a reference center right? I have been collecting books for 40 years and I know that some patterns would be gone if someone like me didn't keep track of them .One day I will organize it all and label it so it can be easily accessed. Just NOT today.LOL. Well all good things must come to and end...so I need to get this on the web so I can get some other projects done. So TaTa for now. Smile, someone will think you are up to something!:)-
P.S. all the long beads are fairy daggers from DS9designs.

More fall leaves.

This is a 'Maple leaf' pattern originally in a Workbasket but diagrammed and fixed by Tammy Rodgers, done in a size 80 in 'Sugar Maple' by Yarnplayer(link to her in side tool bar). I don't remember what web site I got pattern. I think Georgia Seitz had it under maple leaves. Anyways, I remembered why I really didn't like size 80 thread. (You mean besides the fact that if you pull a little too hard when you close rings it breaks or was it because it is so easy to get a small knot in it that you don't see until you try to close your work.) But I have other little projects I want to do and size 50 is too big for some of my earring patterns.

The above picture is to give you some idea of size of this pattern compared to a quarter and size 10 in the same thread. I haven't decided if my leaf pattern is too big for earrings(too wide actually), so I was thinking doing the clover with a ring on either side and a short stem. Something to play with. If it doesn't work out I'll send it to LadySuttleMaker for her art project as a 'bit'.

On a brighter note I have become the proud owner of several patterns from Battytatter (Carol Amich) and Yarnplayer(Marilee Rockley). You will have to be patient till I tat some of them. I also found someone who designs quilt designs in tatting. Yes all I need is 48 hours in a day!Lol. Never enough time for hobbies.

Speaking of hobbies I think I'll 'practice' some more with size 80 thread! TaTa for now :)

A new ring and leaf.

The picture above is my Celtic tatted elm/rose leaf from Ruth Perry's book "Celtic Tatted Leaves and Flowers. The one on the left was needle tatted on a size 7 needle and the right one is my previously posted shuttle tatted one.The needle tatted one is bigger, and I wove it correctly, I like the look of the shuttle one better. No I'm not giving up needle tatting. There are some techniques I handle better with a needle than shuttle and visa verse. I just think for smaller threads shuttle looks nicer. When working with size 10 and 5 I don't think there is much difference in look. My opinion for what it is worth. The thread is Marilee Rockley(a.k.a. Yarnplayer) 'A Leaf Falls' in size 20.( Check her out at http://yarnplayertats.blogspot.com/ )

This is 'Melur' in size 20 'Lola' hdt by Marilee. The pattern is from Jon Yusoff's book "Tatting With Rings". The original pattern calls for size 30 but I used 20 without too much difficulty. I had a few glitches (not with pattern but with the tatter behind the shuttle) but as a whole unless you look REALLY close you don't see them. Decided Josphine knots and I are NOT really friends. But I keep working on them to make them better. I just close my rings a little too tight.
On a different note: LADYSHUTTLEMAKER needs bits and pieces of size 50 or smaller tatted pieces for her art. If any are interested in sending her some odds and ends you have ( maybe the frustrated with ufos you have laying around) check her out at her web site. There is a link to her web page on my side bar(Tatting Tales-All thing tatting).
I wish everyone happy 'tails' with your tatting and your other projects and I am going to work on a few of mine! TaTa till latter.
PS. I have links to both Jon and Marilee on my side bar so check them out! :)

A little leaf.

My first attempt at a Celtic rose or elm leaf from Ruth's book "Celtic Tatted Leaves and Flowers"(contact Ruth at rjpoms@yahoo.com ). I did it in size 20 of Marilee's new color 'A Leaf Falls' (http://yarnplayerstats.blogspot.com/ ) . If you click on image you get a bigger picture.Be warned you will see ALL my mistakes too!
This is the first pattern in the book and it tatted easily enough. The trick is weaving correctly. I noticed I might have down some of the weaving wrong, but for first attempt I am happy with it. This was shuttle tatted and I am trying it again needle tatted. :)

A new 'leaf' on life!

Look what came in the mail! Yes a 'new' book for me! "Celtic Tatted Leaves and Flowers" By Rozella Linden aka Ruth Perry! She can be reached at email address: rjpoms@yahoo.com or follow her at http://tatting.wordpress.com .
I am really excited to get to work on this book. Not that I profess any talent in Celtic tatting, but if you don't try you can't make it work! I also got some MORE thread from Marilee. Te he like I need more. Well just a quick note I can hardly put my shuttles down now, so off I go to tat!

Ladyshuttle Maker is having a giveaway.

Lady Shuttle Maker is having a giveaway! Check her out at http://ladyshuttlemaker.blogspot.com/. Lady Shuttle Maker A.K.A. Sherry Pence is one of the many gifted artists in tat land and anything she has to share is truly beautiful! I have one of her ceramic shuttles and love it. Thank you for sharing with the rest of us, Sherry!

New thread, Book and tatting!

Here it is ( it can a little bit ago) Jon's new book! And on the same day I got another surprise- Thread from Yarnplayer( Marilee)! This is just a picture of the three colors I got,but I got several different sizes! My fav is 'Sugar Maple', but there is 'Summer Trail' and 'Lola'. SOOOO

I started tatting little things( the butterflies are actually Lizabeth thread) and the really small triple ring is in 'Sugar Maple'. But that's not all-

I had to try one of Jon's patterns from her book 'Tatting With Rings'. As you can tell from 1st pic ,Jon sent some rings to practice with. No I haven't hid my ends yet(just lazy on my part), and I WON'T point out the mistakes. This is done in size 20 of Marilee's 'Sugar Maple' and the large ring. It is about 2 1/2 inches across and went fairly quickly.( Pattern is 'Melur')

I like how it turned out. I'm thinking of single shuttle split rings and make a 'tail' so I can make it a bookmark. Or maybe turn it into a tree ornament. Well it is a thought,but there are MORE fun patterns to try and I DO have so many new color to choose from! And you know what they say 'practise makes perfect!' Or as I like to say keep trying until you get it right! Ta Ta for now and happy tatting!

Washclothes are taking over the world!

(Marilee's 'Sugar Maple' and tatted leaf pattern by Rodgers I believe)

This isn't tatted , but I have done a few tatted counterpart's! I just like the pic.Lol.

Meanwhile on the dishcloth trail......

Ok maybe I exaggerated a bit, but I sure have made ALOT of them recently. I should be as ambious about my shuttle as I have my crochet hook.

Here it is finishing up the second week of school and I am still sane! Ok maybe not really-let me explain. My schedule is hectic because I drive specials and this year is no exception. I start driving at 7:15 a.m. till 9:00a.m. Have a break until 10:50a.m. and finish up round two at 12:15 p.m. Get back on the road at 1:20p.m. and finish for the day at 3:10 p.m. Somewhere in there I get lunch take a few nature breaks and need to exercise. So if I have 5 minutes or so I work on something. Soon dish clothes will give way to tatting snowflakes and other winter and fall things(check out Yarnplayer at Esty- she has 'sugar maple' again! a MUST HAVE for tatting all those Fall things, like leaves and doilies etc.) Pic has been posted before, but the leave is Marilee's lovely 'sugar maple'. Ok the point is check her out and support the addiction of HDT so that people like Marilee keep creating lovely thread. And no I do not get a kick back from anyone. I just like HDT and all the lovely threads out there by some very talented ladies!

Well it has been along day already and tomorrow is coming. I wish everyone a safe and happy Labor's Day weekend! TaTa for now. :)

Have shuttle-Will travel

Last night I had the opportunity to teach someone to tat! Ok I have taught others, but this was the first time I actually had someone who picked it up like a fish to water. She got the ds stitch, how to transfer the flip, picots, rings, joins and chains- all in about 2 hours. I left her with a copy of "Learn To Tat" by Jeanette Baker(pic to the right), a couple of shuttles and some thread. Now normally I wouldn't get excited, but she is under 30, not related to me and she is already a talented artist in her own right. It was fun and can't wait to get together again to see how she does! Who knows maybe we can start our own tatting club here in Northern Illinois!:)

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

A family portrait taken for Bill's b-day party.(Bill is the little guy on the left). This will be the last photo of all of us as Bec has headed back to Alaska.(l-r Top-me, Jim 1st row-James, Becki and Bill).
Her father and I drove her to the airport and on the way home both of us were a little teary eyed. Even though she has lived in Alaska for over a year it was like sending her off all over again. It doesn't get easier. In the manual that didn't come with children when they where born the how you are suppose to cope with' their leaving the nest' chapter was missing. But that is the beautiful thing about families no matter were in life they are they are still your family and preparing them to have families of their own is one of our jobs.
Now I can take some time and pick up the aftermath and maybe get some tatting done.:).
P.S. To Tatting Chic- your blog goes into error when I try to open it. Just thought you would like to know.

Peaches, pickles and cherries!

Bec and I canned about 45 quarts of peaches, 14 quarts of pie cherries and Bec did 60 pints of dills. (I did only 14 pints of bread and butter). This was in prep of her getting stuff ready to go back to Alaska. (She leaves tomorrow). Where has the summer gone?

We did the Lake County Fair, the Milwaukee Zoo and lots of clothes shopping the last couple of weeks. All in all we had a FULL summer! I even made 4 dish clothes for her to take back with her. Pic is one of the four dish cloths Bec will be giving to her friend in Anchorage. Sad to say I didn't finish any tatting(Have lots of ufos going around.lol-unfinished objects that is). Maybe when Bec leaves I can get them done.

All in all I will miss Bec and it will be a long spell before we see her again. So when I am having home canned peaches this winter I can smile and think how much fun we had this summer! Well TaTa for now.

Back home-AGAIN!

Well here it is another post after a wild adventure. This time it was a genealogy fact finding mission. Bec and I scanned 400 pages of genealogy! And look what was waiting for me when I got home! This hdt from LadyShuttleMaker(a.k.a. Sherry Pence) in silk thread colors Witches Brew (L) and Marina(R). This is my first batch of silk thread. I think I want to make a special something for my two Aunts in Missouri.

The pic to the right is the project I'm working on. It will probably get done about the time school starts with as fast as I am working on it.(Canning season is upon me. Right now I have peaches calling me-mmmm peaches!)

I enjoyed seeing family-18 years is TOO long to go without seeing family!

Well this is a quick post and it is off to that never ending list of things to get done.:).

There's no place like home.

The last leg of the journey. A few very bad pictures of the Sears tower coming into Chicago. When I see the Chicago skyline I know I am almost home. This is done kind of backwards and you get the trip from the the end to the beginning.
All in all it was a great adventure to see some of American history, taste foods that are in different parts of the country and visit family. As someone once said you only go around once so make the best of it! I hope you enjoy my memoirs of my trip!

One of three dish clothes I crocheted on this trip. I only tatted 1 pair of earrings and gave those away before I took a picture. More time was spent walking and site seeing than anything. I left home made gifts to each of our hosts. All in all it was a very fun trip.

The plaque on the spot were the first flight took place. It was very windy at Devil's Hill and there is sand for ground. Some ground cover and alot of little cactus everywhere.

The monument to commentate 100 years of flight at Kitty Hawk, South Carolina. The monument has each date in flights history making moment on each of the stones starting with Wilbur and Orville Wright. There is even a stone to honor the WW contributors to flight. Very cool.

The plaque from the statue. Click on pic to read. You can appreciate the sacrifices made to make this country.

This is the monument from the final battle of the Revolutionary War at Yorktown, Virginia.

The governor's mansion from Colonial Williamsburg. I was surprised to see so many brick homes. It was sooo big and had three buildings attached to the house.

The LL Bean gum boot out the window of the store.(Yes I was VERY involved in the shopping experience there.) This gives you an idea how BIG the store is here. There are different buildings through the town for all the different departments they have. This is the hunting and fishing building.

Becki living her life long dream to stand in the ocean in Maine. The weather was perfect and Maine was absolutely wonderful! The ocean is as lovely as it looks in the picture. Now I have been to as far east as you can go and as far west as you can go. ( Seen both oceans-each is spectacular)

These are some roses and daisies at Ben and Jerry's. They had a lovely garden of flowers all over the hill the factory sits on.

Here is a gorgeous waterfall on the way to Ben and Jerry's in Waterbury, Vermont.

The first part of journey took us to Kirtland, Ohio to see the Kirtland Temple. We are BIG history buffs in my house and we like historical landmarks.(I have pics of a few). Kirtland was nice, but it was humid. The grounds were lovely-sorry no pics of the flowers.

Thanks for sharing my journey through a little bit of Americana. Ta Ta for now.

Ps. Click on the pics and you get a better view of them! :)